Jayalalithaa Remembered On Death Anniversary, Probe Into Death Continues

The AIADMK leaders and workers paid tributes to Jayalalithaa on her second death anniversary today

Chennai:

A probe into the circumstances of the death of J Jayalalithaa is far from over two years after the former Tamil Nadu chief minister breathed her last in a Chennai hospital where she was admitted for 75 days.

The AIADMK leaders and workers paid tributes to Jayalalithaa on her second death anniversary today. State Chief Minister E Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam were joined by rebel leader TTV Dhinakaran, party legislators for a silent march from Anna Salai to Marina beach, where the former AIADMK supremo was laid to rest.

Justice Arumughaswamy Commission was set up in September last year after opposition DMK alleged mystery surrounded the death of Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, after being treated at Chennai’s Apollo Hospital for 75 days.

Giving credence to the DMK’s demand, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan, a few months later, asked for the public’s forgiveness for “lying about” Jayalalithaa’s health when she was at hospital. “None of us saw Jayalalithaa when she was hospitalised… We were forced to lie,” Mr Sreenivasan said.

The commission, which got two extensions so far, has completed the examination of witnesses including the doctors who treated her, the paramedical staff of the hospital and the political leaders who were present at the hospital.

The panel yesterday threatened to take action against media organisations if they published news pertaining to its terms of reference without prior permission.

The restrain order came after VK Sasikala, who was a close aide of Jayalalithaa, objected to a multi-episode programme aired by a local television channel titled “Jaya death mystery.”

The founder and chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Dr Prathap C Reddy on Tuesday reiterated that the hospital and the doctors at Apollo did their best while treating the Jayalalitha.

“Apollo Hospitals has shared all the documents with the inquiry commission regarding former chief minister Jayalalitha and I do not need to comment on the functioning of the inquiry commission,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Chennai.